Torn Apart
by the-night-fury-troll
Summary: "She couldn't think of a time when she had been separated from him this long...especially when she needed him most." After not hearing from Viggo for months, Astrid is suddenly kidnapped. In a desperate attempt to save her life, Hiccup takes her place, and is imprisoned far away. Meanwhile at the Edge, Astrid is facing a problem of her own. And she needs Hiccup to be there.
1. The Capture

Life on the Edge lately had been rough. With Dagur dead and Viggo still out on the waters as a threat, Hiccup had slowly been getting more and more frustrated. Viggo hadn't reared his head in months and he was getting sick of this waiting game. The riders had scouted for days and he was nowhere to be found. But more and more dragons have been disappearing, almost out of thin air. He was about to scream out in frustration as he stood outside his hut, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Astrid's baby blue eyes met his emerald green eyes.

"You seem tense…" She felt his hand slide up his shoulder to hold hers.

"Yeah...I am...I don't know what he's planning out there...but we need to find out. More and more dragons are being taken, and if we don't do something our own dragons could disappear."

She squeezed his hand. "You'll figure something out. You always do. We just need to come up with a plan." But that was the problem. It was hard to create a plan when all you had to go on was nothing. "I don't know if there's even enough to make a plan, Astrid." He let go of her hand and walked into his hut, looking back at her. "Get some sleep, Astrid, you've been up twice this week with night patrol."

The blonde shook her head. "I'll be fine, you're the one who needs rest. Your eyes are bloodshot. I don't think you've been sleeping either, tough guy." He couldn't help but smile. She always knew how to bring his spirits up. "Well then...goodnight, m'lady." He closed the door to his hut and got into bed for the night.

After watching his door close, Astrid walked to her own hut and went to grab her axe, before looking outside. It was a calm, cool night and there had been no sign of Viggo for weeks. Maybe just once, she shouldn't take it. She instead grabbed Stormfly's saddle and shut the door to her hut before walking down the steps of the Edge and seeing Stormfly happily waiting for her.

"Hey, girl, nice to see you too." She smiled and saddled up her dragon before taking off. "Just around the sea stacks tonight. There's nobody around. And I think I might be overworking you. This is the last night for patrol, okay girl?" The dragon chirped in agreement and flew her rider off over the sea.

...

Astrid spent nearly half an hour watching for suspicious behavior, but after finding nothing she was about ready to head back. With a yawn, she scratched Stormfly's head. "Come on girl...let's get out of here." But as she turned to fly away, she heard a creak. Like wood. Her ears perked and she decided to take a closer look near the sea stacks. She went to grab her axe but realized she had left it at the Edge. " _Now you've done it Astrid...what if it's something dangerous?_ " She slowly approached, noticing a fishing boat. Bad memories filled her head. Memories of finding a cargo of green dead bodies and being scratched. But then the chitter of a dragon roared from the boat. Stormfly chirped warningly and tried to fly away, but Astrid calmed her dragon.

"Easy, girl. We can't leave that little guy down there...come on. There's not a single light and it's a small fishing boat. We could happen?" She guided Stormfly down to the ship, landing on the wood. The ship looked old...with cobwebs and trash littered everywhere. It was only then she noticed the ship was stuck in-between two sea stacks. Was it possible for a fishing boat to get float into a place like this? She didn't know, but she followed the sound of the dragon, lighting a torch on her way inside. A slight fear crept into her heart. What if it was more bodies? Or something worse? She carefully walked inside…

Nothing...just old cells...she walked down the row of iron gates, hearing a thunk. She turned around to see Stormfly, caught in the doorway. She laughed slightly. "Sorry girl, I guess you're too big to fit." But as she laughed she realized the dragon was getting desperate and agitated...but before she could turn around her arms were suddenly pinned behind her back and she dropped the torch to the ground, the light burning out instantly. She couldn't see anything now.

She struggled and tried to fight, but they were holding her too tight. Stormfly tried to get inside the boat but it was impossible. She felt a hand grab her hair and pull her braid back, showing a clear view of her neck. For once, she was frightened. She couldn't even see her enemy.

"We did it, boys" A familiarly gruff voice rose. "My younger brother will be very happy."

Ryker.

Astrid struggled even more, desperate to get away, nearly cracking her own neck in the process. She heard a loud chittering noise and gasped as she looked through the doorway and saw a soldier shoot a dragon root arrow at her, the dragon collapsing. "Let us go!"

"Not on your life. My brother has plans for you, my girl. Now toss her in the cell. We need her good and ready when Viggo arrives." An older voice resonated. "But sir, we can't see." Ryker groaned, annoyed, and grabbed Astrid's torch, that was still embering. He softly blew on it until the flames rekindled, and grinned menacingly at Astrid's pale and thin neck. The soldier who had her hair released his grip and tied up her hands, tight. Ryker opened up a cell with his key and watched the two other soldiers toss her in, locking the cell as soon as she hit the floor.

"Get some sleep, princess. Tomorrow is a big day for you." He walked to the far side of the cells to open a small cage with a Terrible Terror in it. He wrote down a note before tying it to the fella's leg, letting it fly off. "Viggo should be here in a few hours. I would suggest you get comfy." he laughed darkly and shut the door, leaving Astrid in the dark.

Once left alone, Astrid began to slightly panic. She couldn't get off the floor, Stormfly was immobilized, and in a few short hours she would be on Viggo's mothership, far away from the Edge...and far away from Hiccup...all she could really do at this point was pray for a miracle.

...

 ** _Hey guys, and welcome to the wild ride of Torn Apart, my first RttE fic! Now this is just a filler for right now (but a good one) as in Spring of 2017 after Season 4 I will be releasing a whole new HTTYD fic that has been in the works for a LONG time. Don't forget to review and follow! Bye!_**

 **- _Carla ;)_**


	2. The Note

Astrid's fear only rose as she heard Ryker come in and unlock the cage, two other soldiers grabbing her and forcing her onto the deck. Viggo walked up to her with slow movements, a grin on his face.

"Well, well, my dear. It seems you've found yourself in a spot of trouble."

Astrid wasn't about to let him think she was scared. "You'll be the one in trouble when Hiccup finds me." Viggo gave her an amused look. "Ah, yes, but what if he doesn't? Don't forget my dear, I'm taking you away with me. And even Hiccup doesn't know where I am. Now, if you're good, I might just let you share a cell with your dragon." Astrid growled and tried to struggle again. "Pity. Load her up." Astrid opened her mouth once again. "If you don't let me go, I'll scream. We're close enough to Edge, they'll be able to hear me." Rkyer marched over and grabbed her chin, hard, bruising it. "If you so much as even try, I'll cut your tongue off and give it to the boy as a gift." Astrid clamped her mouth shut. She'd never been threatened like this...she underestimated what she was dealing with...and how much harder it would be to escape.

In a few short minutes Astrid was on a much bigger boat, in a much bigger cell, lighted by several torches on the wall. Stormfly lie locked up and muzzled across from Astrid, squawking weakly at her rider best she could with the muzzle, the dragon root still not wearing off. Astrid was leaned up against the wall, hands still tightly tied. She looked out the window of her cell, the sky still dark. The sun wouldn't be up for hours...and by then she would be long gone and far away from Hiccup and the Edge. Her hands burned from the rubbing of the rope against her wrists, and she didn't dare try to scream.

" _You may never see him again...no, no! Don't you think like that! No! He'll come save you...he will...oh, Astrid, no, stop! Warriors don't cry! Warriors don't…"_

But no matter how hard she bit her lip, a single tear dripped to the floor.

…

Hiccup woke up feeling well rested. He'd gotten a full night of sleep and was in a much better mood than yesterday. He looked at his sleeping dragon on the floor, deciding to leave him there for now. Grabbing his prosthetic and hooking it on, he opened the door to his hut, admiring the morning sky. As he stretched and let a yawn escape his mouth, he realized Astrid should be back by now. He had to thank her for the motivation last night...maybe with a kiss.

Even Hiccup couldn't deny his love for Astrid. Never could. It was too strong. Even when he was a kid. And after that first kiss on the lips the morning he awoke from his coma, everything had changed. She was almost all he thought about. And now, at 19, they had tried everything to hide it from each other. He knew that there were responsibilities more important than a relationship right now, especially with Viggo and everything. But after escaping Malla they had shared a long, passionate lip kiss. Something he'd only experienced a few times with her. And not in such a long time. After that kiss, their relationship had changed drastically. When alone with her he was no longer afraid to kiss her and show his affection. He never showed any of it in front of the other riders though.

In the light of the riders they were best friends.

In the dark of the night alone together they were lovers.

He walked to her hut and slowly slid the door open, hoping to not wake her. But he was brought to the sight of an empty, made bed. And her axe was near the bed. Well if her axe was here, she must have gotten an early start. He was a tad disappointed with the fact that they couldn't have their alone time for the morning, but quickly shook it off and went to find her.

After not finding her in the woods he headed to the clubhouse. Heather and Fishlegs were up, like usual, currently enjoying a little alone time and cooking some breakfast together.

"Hey, have you guys seen Astrid?"

Heather looked up at the noise and in surprise of who it was nearly flipped the pan over. She unhooked her hand from Fishlegs quickly. "No, actually. Isn't she in bed?"

Stupid question. Heather must have been really distracted by Fishlegs. Astrid always got up super early. Hiccup was the one who should be asleep. But at how early he went to bed he woke up much earlier than expected. "No. But I can't find her in the woods." Fishlegs fixed Heather's hand on the pan so she didn't burn herself. "Maybe she's with the twins? Snotlout is still asleep, so she can't be with him." Hiccup sighed. That was the LAST thing he wanted to do. Go find the twins. Ruffnut had walked in on him and Astrid during one of their kisses late night on the shore and she had never let it go since. "Alright...I'll let you know if I find her…"

He headed down to the shore where sure enough, the twins were there, brawling with a mace and a hammer. With a deep breath he approached them. "Morning."

Ruffnut's eyes brightened at the sight of him. "Hey Lover Boy, where's your pretty girlfriend?" Hiccup groaned. "She's not my-" He decided not to finish that sentence. "Have you seen Astrid?" Ruffnut snorted. "No. Thought she would have been romping around with you." Her laughs doubled as Hiccup blushed red. "Ruffnut! Seriously! Have you seen her at all?" When the twin finally stopped laughing, Tuffnut joined in. "Why are you looking for her? Going on a little date?" He began to laugh like his sister did, and the joke itself made Ruffnut start bawling with laughter again. Hiccup was about done with this. "If you see her, let me know!" He walked off, breathing deeply.

" _Just the twins, just the twins, just the twins, just the twins…"_

As he walked up to the base again Fishlegs was feeding Heather with a fork. He put it down on the table as Hiccup approached. "Any luck?"

"No. And I'm starting to get worried. Have you guys seen Stormfly around here?"

Heather swallowed her bite. "No, actually…"

This didn't make Hiccup feel any better. "It's not like her to go out with Stormfly without her axe...do you think she came back from patrol?" Fishlegs shook his head. "Snotlout was supposed to be watching until she showed up. He had night watch from the outpost." Hiccup groaned. Now he was going to have to go to Snotlout...Odin help him…but he had to know where Astrid was.

He decided to run to the red and gold hut, needing to get the information as soon as possible. Once getting to Snotlout's he opened the door only to instantly shut it with a red face. "S-sorry!" Snotlout yelped. "Do you know what knocking is?!" Hiccup didn't have time for this. "Just hurry up and finish dressing! We need to talk!" He leaned against the wall by the door as he waited. " _Kinda small for a- okayyyy no need to think about it._ "

About two minutes later, Snotlout emerged, flustered and embarrassed. "Did you seriously just have to come barging in?! I mean, if you were Astrid, it would be different but y-"

"Astrid is actually what I came here to talk to you about." Hiccup interrupted. Snotlout suddenly gleamed. "She broke up with you because she wants to be with me?!" Hiccup scowled. "Not even close." He watched the shorter Viking slump. "I can't find her anywhere. And you were supposed to be watching. So where is she?"

Snotlout gulped. "Uh...well...Hookfang and I got tired of waiting...and uh...you know Hookfang, he can be mean when he's sleep-deprived...so…"

"So you went to sleep before she came back?!" He finished.

"Um...yes…"

Now his worry turned into slight panic. He bit his lip, hoping to hold it back as he walked back to the Edge clubhouse. Heather and Fishlegs must have gone somewhere else. He paced around for a bit, his head filling up with bad thoughts.

"Hiccup?"

Fishlegs stood in the doorway, noticing Hiccup's pacing. Hiccup only paced when he was really worried and trying not to show it.

"She didn't come back." He mumbled.

"What?

"I said she didn't come back, Fishlegs! She never returned!"

Fishlegs could now understand his worry. Astrid was never gone all night, and the last time Astrid went missing for several hours she nearly drowned. "Okay, okay, don't panic. Maybe she did come back and went for a flight?"

"Without her axe? Yeah, right."

Okay, Fishlegs had to admit. An Astrid without an axe was a strange thing. "Well maybe-" He was stopped as his girlfriend walked into the base carrying a Terrible Terror. "Heather?"

The black haired woman held up the Terror. "He's got a letter around his leg. It has Hiccup's name on it." She walked over and handed the Terror to Hiccup, who quickly untied the letter and began to read, his heart sinking at the familiar print.

" _You needn't worry. I ha_ v _e your beloved Astrid. But before you go willy nilly searching all over the archipelago for me I'm here to gi_ _ve you a deal. Surrender the Edge to my control, along with all six of your dragons, and I shall spare Astrid. You have a full day to decide, starting when the sun rises. When the sun goes down, you, and you alone, will meet me in a secluded area of your choosing. If you refuse, or if you bring other dragon riders, I'll make sure the girl is lost to you forever._ "

Heather and Fishlegs could only watch as Hiccup shakingly dropped the note, his fists tightening.

"He's got her. He's got my Astrid."

...

 **Oh boy, things are really heating up now! Okay, so I will try to update soon, but the next three days will be busy. Two days of family visits and then on the 4th I turn 16!**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**

 **- _Carla ;)_**


	3. The Deal

Hiccup had spent the whole afternoon pacing in his hut, tugging at his hair. The riders were starting to get worried. Even Hiccup didn't usually pace this much.

Inside his head Hiccup's mind was a complete mess. He was worried, panicked, and high strung right now. Astrid...Astrid...of all the riders to take, Viggo had to pick Astrid. Part of him wanted to agree to Viggo right then and there. Just so he could have his Astrid back in his arms...and the other, more sensible part, told him to think up a plan and get her back without any terrible damage. He barely even heard the knock on the door.

"Hiccup?" Heather stood by the door, desperate to help her friend. "Is there anything we can do?"

"I have to get her back…" he gripped at his desk, his mind reeling once again.

"Hiccup, we're going to get her back, you just need to calm down…" She walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She was ultimately surprised when he shook her off.

" _Stop it. Stop reminding me of her."_

"Hiccup!" She spoke loudly now. "Snap out of it! If you don't think of something soon it'll be too late!"

Too late...too late...no. He wouldn't be.

"We'll take the offer." He grabbed Toothless' saddle off the wall and heading towards the door.

"What?!" Heather blocked him. "Okay, hold on! Are you serious?" When he tried to duck around her she only moved with him, not allowing him out. "Do you have any idea what will happen if Viggo gets this Edge? If he gets our dragons?!"

"I have to get her back." He said it matter of factly. "I have to."

"Okay, okay, hold on! We need to talk about this as a group! What happened to that?" As she blocked him she noticed his eyes. They were a darker shade of green. He wasn't thinking right. As she continued to block him, Snotlout walked by.

"Snotlout! Help me hold him back!"

"Why?" He was in no mood to help Hiccup today. Not after this morning.

"He's going to give up the Edge and our dragons for Astrid!"

That set him off. Soon they were both blocking him. Heather grunted as she was beginning to get tired of this. "Snotlout, go get the others. We need to have a meeting. Right now."

Several minutes later, all six of the riders were` in Hiccup's hut. When Heather explained to them what Hiccup wanted to do, they all voiced their opinions.

"No! My dragon is too precious!"

"Who cares about Astrid, I mean really?"

"If we give him the Edge, we'll all die!"

Hiccup had had about enough of this.

"BE QUIET!"

The room was silent. Hiccup only raised his voice for important manners.

"Astrid is gone. And we can't have her back until we give him the Edge and our dragons." He heard a coo outside his door and recognized it as Toothless. The dragon opened the door and walked over to him, knowing his rider never yelled unless he was really upset. Seeing Toothless again reminded him he needed to hurry.

"Toothless, come on bud. We need to go." Hiccup grabbed his saddle, but as Hiccup tried to put it on his dragon he stepped back, more and more. "Toothless, what's the matter with you?" He tried once again. "Come on, bud." Toothless sat firmly outside the hut. Hiccup went silent, not knowing what to do.

"He's not going to follow you this time, Hiccup." Heather broke the silence. "And neither can we. Unless we think of a plan. We all want to save Astrid. But you _need_ to think clearly about this. Please."

He sighed. Heather was right. Dangerous consequences were wrapped all around this. If they gave Viggo the Edge, their dragons would die, and so would thousands of other dragons. Eventually Viggo may even try to take islands. But if they didn't give him something...Astrid would be killed…

"Okay. Okay. You're right. Obviously we can't give him our dragons. Or the Edge. But if we try to outsmart him he may refuse a deal. The best thing is for me to go alone to see him. And bargain. Maybe there's a rare dragon he wants...whatever the case, I'll make sure to bring Astrid home, and make sure our dragons and our Edge stay safe."

" _That's_ the Hiccup we know." Heather smiled.

"Give me until tomorrow to think of something...please." As the riders left, he called Toothless back inside. The dragon looked weary until Hiccup placed the saddle back on the wall and shut the door. What his rider did next was something he'd never expected.

Hiccup collapsed next to Toothless, and began to bite back tears. The dragon instinctively wrapped his tail around the boy, letting him cry.

Hiccup _never_ cried. He cried when he was young, he cried when Toothless was taken away to be a guide to the Dragon's Nest, he cried when he burnt his hand really badly. But it was a rarity. What was even more a rarity was to _see_ him cry. He had been biting back these sobs since he had finished the letter. But now that they were gone, he was free to sob, something he never did.

" _I must look like such a baby...why am I even crying? I just can't stop thinking about her...what he's doing to her...if I'll ever see her again…"_

Toothless simply cooed, resting his head on his rider as Hiccup cried as softly as possible, whispering his lover's name once in awhile.

…

The riders didn't even see Hiccup at dinner. Or breakfast. Not even lunch. It was only when the sun started to go down did he come out. Toothless saddled up, Hiccup with his Inferno. He set a Terror go, with the location where Hiccup wanted to meet.

The sea stacks.

He walked over where the other riders were, providing a weak smile. "I'll be back hopefully before morning. With Astrid."

They all nodded, not wanting to delve too deep into the situation at hand.

"Good luck."

Hiccup walked down the boardwalk, getting onto Toothless, and flying out towards the sea stacks. They didn't have far to go, and Hiccup noticed the bright ship instantly. A row of archers stood by, Toothless growling. But Hiccup placed a hand on his head. "Easy, bud. It's ok."

As he landed, Viggo stepped out. "Well my boy, it seems you've made it."

"So I have. Can you send away the archers? I promise no harm."

Viggo's eyebrow raised. "Only if you disarm yourself and muzzle the dragon."

Hiccup _hated_ muzzling. But at this point, he didn't really have a choice. He nodded, putting Inferno into Toothless' saddlebag and letting Viggo muzzle his dragon, who shook around, angry.

Hiccup looked back at Viggo, his eyes narrowed. "Give her back to me."

Viggo's fingers snapped, and two soldiers came out from under the dock, holding a tied up Astrid, tight. Her blue eyes went wide as she spotted him. She struggled as hard as she could.

"Hiccup!"

"Astrid!"

He felt his heart beat fast. Here she was...tied up and helpless.

Viggo smirked. "So do we have a deal? The Edge, and your dragons, for Astrid?"

Astrid's eyes widened. There was no way Hiccup would make that deal.

"I can't. But I'm sure there's something else you want. A rare dragon? Gold?"

But Viggo didn't even let him keep offering. "Well, my boy, I'm afraid that wasn't our deal. Pity too. I can't imagine what will happen to her at the hands of a dealer."

Hiccup's heart stopped. A dealer. A fate worse than death. Astrid would be tortured, forced upon, and slowly maimed until she was nothing but a broken shell. No, no...his thoughts were broken as Viggo's fingers snapped. The soldiers were taking her away again.

"No! Hiccup!" She struggled desperately, trying to kick at them.

"Astrid!"

His heart was going a mile a minute. He had to think fast. What could Viggo want more than the Edge and rare dragons? The answer hit him like Astrid's battle axe. The answer was clear. And if it was what it took to save Astrid, so be it.

"WAIT!"

Viggo snapped his fingers and the soldiers stopped.

"I have one last offer."

Viggo frowned. "I already told you, my boy, my deal is fina-"

"Just hear me out!" He pleaded.

"Fine. What is your deal?" He tapped his foot impatiently.

Hiccup gulped. He didn't want to do this, but it was for Astrid. And for her...he'd do anything.

"Her. For me."

Astrid struggled more than ever. No, NO, NO!

"NO! HICCUP!"

Toothless began to shake his head violently, desperate to get the muzzle off. Take his rider away? He thought not. He needed to get to him! Blasted muzzle!

Hiccup ignored their screams, blocking them out.

" _I'm sorry Astrid...I'm sorry, bud...but I have to do this..."_

He willed himself to look straight at Viggo.

"Do we have a deal?"

Viggo's lips turned into a dreadful smirk.

"Deal."

...

 **Alright, I'm sorry. I know Hiccup might seem a little OOC here but he's lost Astrid. Anyway, next chapter scares me. It won't be fun to write, that's for sure. But I think you guys might like it. Anyway, I'll try to update tomorrow but I can't update every day...Please review!**

 _ **\- Carla ;)**_


	4. The Confession

Hiccup took a deep breath, willing himself to be strong. "But, I will only give myself to you if you promise to let her return safely with Toothless AND Stormfly. And you will leave the Edge and all the other riders alone."

Viggo pondered it for a moment, the smirk still evident on his lips.

"Alright, Hiccup. If that is what you want. I suppose you'd like to say goodbye to your little girlfriend?" Hiccup could only nod.

"Well, since you have shown such kindness and bravery to me, I'll give you a gift." Hiccup started to object, not wanting _anything_ that had to do with Viggo, but his next words make him freeze up.

"One night. Alone. Together. And in the morning she will leave with BOTH dragons and you will be under my control."

Hiccup nodded again slowly. A whole night alone with Astrid…? What was he doing? But whatever the case, Hiccup now had time for a better goodbye. He let Viggo's men grab him from behind and pull him down into the cells, giving Hiccup and Astrid the roomiest cell, throwing some blankets in the corner before locking the door and walking up the stairs locking the door to the underneath, keeping the dragons above the cells in muzzles and chains. Hiccup quickly turned Astrid around and untied her hands with difficulty, four different knots to get loose, before freeing her. She turned around to face him and didn't exactly expect for her fist to connect with his shoulder.

"Ow! Astrid, what was that for?!" He tenderly rubbed his arm.

"That was for what you did! Are you crazy?!"

"Astrid, I had to! Do you know what would've happened had I not come to get you?!"

Astrid was in no mood to agree. "And what about you! What do you think Viggo is going to do to you?! Massage your feet and serve you breakfast in bed?! He'll hurt you!"

"He would've hurt you more!" His voice was starting to raise, and he could tell by the surprise in her eyes. He took a deep breath and sighed, calming himself before looking at her. He couldn't be like this...not when they had such limited time…

"Astrid, I couldn't let him...I couldn't…" He gently cupped her cheek. "Do you have any idea what would've happened if he had actually sold you to someone?"

She had a pretty good idea...and although it would all be her worst nightmare, what hurt her even more was the thought of the beatings and severe pain he would suffer. She nuzzled her cheek into his hand, taking his other hand in hers. This was something they did to comfort each other. Holding hands. It may have been a small thing, but just the feeling of their hands joined together made everything seem okay.

"Hey, Astrid?"

"Hmmm?"

"I don't believe I got a kiss after that punch."

She smiled brightly, and still holding his hand, she reached up and kissed his lips. But she didn't pull away quickly. And Hiccup wasn't going to let her. He let go of her hand, and took her waist in his arms, leaning down just a little bit to kiss her properly. Their heads tilted to deepen the kiss, and the two felt content. Lips to lips.

When they finally pulled away Astrid looked up at him. "I can't let you go…"

Hiccup sighed, pulling her close again but just keeping her to his chest. "You have to, Astrid…"

"What about the other riders? What about Berk? You're the heir, Hiccup." Another block in the road. But he had to chance it. "My dad will pick someone more suitable. Maybe you. And the other riders will be okay. I know you'll lead them well."

Astrid's heart was slowly breaking. But she denied it. "Hiccup-"

"Astrid, please. Let's just enjoy this...I only have so much time with you...and I want to tell you everything."

"Everything."

He took a deep breath and she stepped back a bit. He was going to do it...this was it. And he had no idea what would happen afterwards.

"Astrid...ever since I was five and we crashed into each other in the woods...I fell in love with you. When we got older I wanted to tell you so badly, but I was terrified of rejection. The real reason I even wanted to do dragon training in the first place was to impress you...and then I met Toothless...that night I took you on your first flight...I felt like actual sparks had been made...but I didn't want to test it. So during the rest of our teen years I didn't show affection. I thought you wanted space. And now...now I can't be afraid to show it. Astrid, you are beautiful, strong, talented, and just perfect in my eyes. And I can't imagine being with anybody else. Ever. So, what I'm trying to say Astrid is that…" he gently pulled her close with one arm and kissed her softly, before pulling back.

"I love you."

Astrid's heart pounded in her chest. Those three little words she had been afraid of for so long...not knowing how or when to say them or even if she could say them. And here he was, her Hiccup, telling her he loves her. She didn't know how to respond, so she did it the only way she knew how.

She punched him.

"Ow!"

"That was waiting so long to tell me this."

"W-what?"

"And this…" She leaned up to kiss him. "Is because I love you too."

They didn't talk again for a long time. They were on the floor against the wall, draped in one of the blankets, cuddling. Hiccup had his arms around her shoulders and Astrid had her arms around his chest. They would sometimes turn their heads to kiss.

…

After several hours it was still night out and they had been cuddling and enjoying the other's presence when a certain thought popped into Astrid's mind. She tried to push it away, but an odd feeling in her belly and plain curiosity brought it back.

"Hiccup?"

He had nearly been asleep, He shook his head and looked over at her. "Yeah?"

"Hiccup...when you said that you can't imagine being with anybody else...I can't either. Ever. I just...won't be able to. And...I want to experience love with only you. Every...every kind."

Every kind? But what other kind is there besides-

Oh.

That kind.

"Astrid...we can't…"

Astrid knew he would react this way. But if she was never going to have this chance again, she had to take it. "Hiccup, please. If you don't do this...my parents will force me to marry Tuffnut or Snotlout. And I don't want them to have this…"

Her highest honor. Her virginity. And she was offering it to him.

"Astrid...no one will marry you if you're not pure...and we can't do this...it's not right."

"Didn't you say you loved me?" She knew this was a nasty trick. But she had to do it.

The very question tugged at his heartstrings. "Y-yes…"

"Then, please. Do this for me...I want this, Hiccup. I want _you._ "

He thought about it for several minutes, tugging at his hair and wondering what to do. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about it before. They had even gotten close once when it was late at night and their kisses had turned into something deeper and stronger. But he had stopped it, wanting the actual moment to be special and not just on the Edge.

He tried to think of a way out of this, but she wasn't budging. And he wouldn't deny it. He wanted her too.

It had been a slow process, kisses slowly getting deeper and of course the awkwardness of seeing each other completely bare for the first time. Hiccup had still been unsure. That was until he felt the smooth, soft skin of her stomach and thighs. The sensation itself brought him to a place he'd never ventured, and soon the small pulsing feeling in his belly overcame his entire body. There was no going back.

For two virgins not even really knowing what they're doing, the moment was special. It may not have been the longest experience, nor the best feeling, but it was filled with passion none the less.

As they curled up into their blankets, close as close can be, they muttered several words to each other, both drunk with pleasure and happiness.

…

Once morning came, they had dressed quickly, and no sooner had they dressed than Viggo came down the stairs.

"Wakey, wakey, dragon riders. It's time."

Hiccup pulled Astrid to his lips one more time, hoping to give her all the passion and love he felt for her in just one kiss. "I love you, Astrid. Please, take care of Toothless. And never look back. Go straight to the Edge." Astrid forced her body not to cry. " _I'm losing him. I'm really losing him._ " It hadn't become real until now. When Viggo was about to take him away forever.

She knew it was stupid, but she was in such a state of mind the words slipped from her mouth. She grabbed his hand tightly. "Promise you'll come back to me."

Hiccup knew he couldn't promise her that, but in the same state of mind, said the stupidest thing he could of.

"I'll come back to you, Astrid. I promise."

Astrid let go of his hand and walked to the cell door, allowing Viggo to take her out and take her upstairs. She stole one last glance at Hiccup, who was now alone in the cell. He gripped the bars as he mouthed "I love you." She mouthed back that she loved him too, and saw him disappear as she reached the upper dock.

After getting the muzzles and chains off the dragons, she was getting ready for a fight. But as she got to Stormfly, about to say a command, Ryker laughed.

"I wouldn't if I were you, girly. Not unless you want the boy to be slaughtered in front of your eyes."

The very image made Astrid want to vomit, but she painfully nodded, walking over to Toothless. Her eyes widened as she realized something.

Hiccup never got to say goodbye to his best friend.

But she knew that if she brought it up she would only annoy Viggo and Ryker even more, maybe even anger them to a point of harming Hiccup. She mounted onto Toothess, who was very confused. Where was his rider?

"Hiccup isn't coming with us, Toothless. Let's go home."

But the dragon refused to budge, beginning to throw a fit.

"Toothless! Stop! If you throw a fit, they'll hurt him!"

That stopped the dragon in his tracks. He began to whimper, looking over at the door where the cells were kept.

Where Hiccup was kept.

The dragon whined, and pawed at the hard wood ship. But Astrid simply patted his head. "We have to go, boy. Now." And with that, they got into the air, and so did Stormfly. Both dragons looked back at the ship, not keen on leaving Hiccup behind. But Astrid simply pushed forward.

Once she could no longer see the ship, realization hit her. Hard.

" _I'm never going to see him again. I'm never going to see my Hiccup again._ "

And as she continued to fly towards the Edge, Astrid allowed herself to cry, no longer trying to hide it. Tears streamed down her face and dropped into the ocean far below. He was gone.

Her Hiccup was gone.

...

 **Wow. Just wow. I like how this chapter turned out. And I think you can all guess what's going to happen next. I hope you guys liked this. I won't be able to update tomorrow most likely as it will be my 16th birthday! But I hope you guys enjoyed this and thank you for reading! Please review!**

 **- _Carla ;)_**


	5. The Suspicion

It'd been a week since Hiccup had been taken and the riders could see the effect it had on Astrid. She would come out of her hut, get on Stormfly and practice throwing some axes, nibble on something, and then go back to her hut. If any of them tried to talk about it, she pushed them away.

She had been preparing to leave to go axe throwing when she heard a knock on her hut door. She was ready to tell them to go away when Snotlout came inside. "Hey, Astrid! So I just kind of wanted to let you know something."

Not again...ever since she had told them Hiccup gave himself away, Snotlout had been trying his best to flirt with Astrid, finding this to be his chance.

"So I was just thinking...you and I should go out sometime. Romantic flight, maybe? I mean come on, I'd be way better than Hiccup." He laughed to himself.

Astrid's pure white knuckle connected with Snotlout's face, knocking him clear on the ground. She turned away and tried to relax her hand, slight pain coming through. Snotlout, however, was knocked out cold, and a few trails of blood ran from his nose. But Astrid didn't care. She was too angry.

" _Better than Hiccup._ " Nobody was better than her Hiccup. _Nobody_.

By the time she managed to calm down, Snotlout was still out cold. Sighing, she got Stormfly to pick him up carefully, and told her to put him on his bed. After her dragon left with the injured boy, she shut her hut door.

…

Heather watched the whole thing unfold from the sideline. And pity filled her gentle heart. Not really for Snotlout, he deserved that one. But Astrid just hadn't been the same since Hiccup was gone. And Astrid could deny it all she wanted, but Heather could see the real truth. She loved him. And she knew very well that he loved her. Astrid had never been away from Hiccup very long, and the withdrawal of her best friend was getting too much for her to bear.

Heather gently knocked on the hut door.

"Snotlout, I'm not going to say I'm sorry!"

"It's me."

It took a few moments, but Astrid finally opened the door. "Heather…? What are you doing here?" The black haired girl weakly smiled. "I think it's time we talked." She walked in and shut the door, sitting down on Astrid's bed. Astrid followed, confused.

"Talk about what?"

Heather sighed. "Hiccup."

Astrid instantly turned away. "No."

"Astrid-"

"No! I don't want to talk about him!"

"Astrid, something happened on that boat, didn't it?"

"No!"

"Astrid, you can tell me-"

"No, I can't!"

"Astrid-"

"Fine!" She bit her lip to stop tears. "Fine…" Heather placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, sighing as she pushed it away. "Astrid...you can tell me anything. You need to let this out…"

Astrid blinked back tears. "He tried everything...offered rare dragons, maps, everything...and Viggo wouldn't take it. He was going to sell me away to a dealer. And then...Hiccup...he told them that if Viggo let me and the dragons go, he'd go with Viggo. For good…"

Heather gently rubbed Astrid's back. "And in the cell...he told me everything...and I just...I've never felt...love...that strong before. Yeah, we'd kissed and cuddled when no one was around...but this was the first time it felt truly genuine. And...and I wanted…" She stopped, not being able to say it.

"You wanted what, Astrid?" Heather asked softly.

"I wanted more…" She gulped, looking at Heather. "Heather...I was in such...an odd...state of mind...that we...we consummated."

"What?!" Heather's gentleness and calmness went away. "Astrid! What were you-"

"I don't know! It just...happened...I was never going to see him again! I...I…"

Heather took a deep breath. "You do know what could happen, right?"

"I don't want to think about it."

"And if it happens?"

"I...I don't know…"

Heather couldn't wrap her head around this. It was too much. "Astrid...what if he never comes back?"

"He has to come back! He...he promised me he would…"

Heather gulped. "Astrid, there is no way he could fully promise that. Hiccup is a smart man. If anybody can get him out of a mess, it's himself."

Astrid's eyes shone with tears. "And if he can't…?"

"Then we'll just have to honor his sacrifice."

She rubbed Astrid's back for a while, several different worries swimming in her head. The biggest one of all being a huge possibility. Heather had always known how much Hiccup and Astrid cared for each other. It was one of the strongest friendships she'd ever seen. But without each other, they were so different...she'd never seen Astrid so...emotionally vulnerable...and if her suspicions were correct, she'd be vulnerable to a lot of other things soon…

…

Like Hiccup had expected, Viggo had kept him on the mothership for two whole days before being told he was getting moved. Ryker snapped his fingers for two guards to take Hiccup, but Hiccup shook his head, arms still tied, and walked right off the ship, following Viggo, his mind filled with thoughts of Astrid. As long as he cooperated, she would be fine…

The island was nothing he'd ever seen before. A dark, grim island with black sand and decorated with dragon bones. He felt slightly ill to his stomach, but tried to swallow it, not wanting to show his discomfort.

"What is this place?"

Viggo grinned. "Grimborn Island. A little spot my brother and I found as children. Mother Dear always said that we were always our happiest here...crushing dragon eggs in our hands, beating little hatchlings to death, crafting bows and arrows out of their bones…"

Hiccup decided that throwing up on Viggo's shoes would be a very bad idea, and forced himself to swallow back his nauseousness.

Viggo chuckled at the boy's slight green complexion. "Also, known as your new home." He got to a little cove, nothing but black sand, a large rock, and a few bushes. Walking over to the one of the bushes, Viggo flipped a small switch, and the rock flipped open. Hiccup looked down to see a large wooden structure. He was shoved onto it, and with a few more soldiers on it, Hiccup heard gears clanking and slowly, the wooden plate descended down into a deep, dark hole. It took nearly two full minutes before Hiccup could see the bottom. And when it landed, Viggo walked straight on, Hiccup following.

"I made sure it fit your needs." Hiccup gulped audibly as Viggo ushered him over to a large cell made of black rock. The gate for the door was thick, meaty dragon bones, melted together. With a huge amount of effort, taking five men just to do it, the door opened. One soldier cut Hiccup's ropes off his hands, and Hiccup was tossed inside. The door quickly shut and locked.

"Underground cell, huh? How long did you spend building this?" He stood up tall, not wanting to seem intimidated.

"Oh, around five to six months. I had been preparing it for your arrival ever since you became a problem. Now, no one will find you here. And you'll never interfere with my plans again."

Hiccup bit his lip. "I'll stay here as long as you want, if you leave the riders alone."

Viggo smirked. "Especially your little Astrid."

The sound of her name made Hiccup's hands tighten into fists around the bone door.

"Don't think we didn't hear you down there. We know what went on."

He growled lowly in his throat. "Considering I was never going to see her again-"

"Oh, I know all about it. What I just don't understand is that you're so worried I'm going to do something to her, when you've already given her and yourself something major to worry about."

With that, Viggo laughed lightly, getting onto the wooden plate with the others and hitting the switch to bring them back up leaving Hiccup in the dark with only two lanterns, a bucket for relief, a bucket of clear water, and a bucket of closed oysters.

But he couldn't eat. He couldn't stop thinking about what Viggo was talking about.

What should he be so worried about…?

...

 **Sorry for the wait. I was on vacation. But I'm back now! Anyways, next chapter is going to be an emotional rollercoaster. And I will probably lose some readers. Nothing else sexual is going to happen. Last chapter was the only thing and that was because it was necassary. No Vigcup or anything like that, purely Hiccstrid. So don't worry. Nothing disgusting. Anyways, I will try to update soon!**

 _ **\- Carla ;)**_


	6. The Scroll

Hiccup had never even actually eaten an oyster before. So it was a bit of a learning experience the first time he smashed the shell of the oyster on the rock wall until it cracked. Sadly, the first one spilled all over his tunic, leaving a sticky mess. The second one was less splashy, but the oyster fell to the floor anyway. Finally, on the third one, he managed to keep it all in the shell. He took a cold sip, his face scrunching in disgust. It was slimy and squishy...just like the fish Toothless hacked up for him when they had first met.

A week had gone by and he still sighed and tried not to gag as he sipped an oyster. He slid down the rock, downing six oysters reluctantly before drinking nearly the entire bucket of water, hoping to get this awful taste out of his mouth.

Grabbing an empty oyster shell, he knocked it against the rock a few times, crushing it into a oddly shaped piece. Sharp, too. He had an idea to write on the rock wall with it, but sadly it broke before he could even attempt to make anything.

He flicked his eyes over to the ragged blanket, a gift from Viggo a few days after arriving, and shook his head. He wasn't tired. He'd been up for a long time, nearly two days. It was an awful thing to sleep on a rock floor, and even worse when your mind was constantly on your friends.

His worry for Astrid hadn't rested. Ever since Viggo dropped that stupid hint that he _should_ be worried. He still had no idea what. But several ideas had formed in his head. Maybe Viggo was going to kidnap her. Sell her. Kill her…

His heart shuddered at that last one.

All he wanted to do was go back to her...go back to his Astrid…

The girl he loved.

…

Astrid had always hated the feeling of throwing up. And this morning she had woken up with a splitting headache over her right eye and the pain had only gotten worse as she tried to move around. She couldn't even get on Stormfly. Food was not even a reasonable thought, but she still nibbled down some eggs to act normal in front of the riders.

After only twenty minutes after forcing the eggs down her throat, her stomach had begun to swell and bubble until she threw a hand to her mouth and rushed over to the bushes to vomit, emptying her stomach of the two eggs she had eaten, her nose burning, dripping with mucus, and her hand clutching her stomach, a terrible pain seeping through.

Vomiting was a rarity for Fearless Astrid Hofferson. She had gotten the stomach flu maybe twice when she was a child and she had vomited once during the period of time she had the scourge at the edge. But vomiting out of the blue was just...weird.

Twenty minutes later it happened again. This time it hurt worse because she had nothing at all in her stomach except acid, which was even worse. She ended up coughing this time, and as she felt her nose burn again, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her heart raced at the recognition, about to say his name when she came face to face with Heather.

"We need to talk. Now."

Astrid huffed. "I don't _want_ to talk, Heather."

But Astrid found herself being dragged all the way to Heather's hut. She opened her mouth to complain but Heather's hard stare shut her up. When Heather shut the door, Astrid sat on the bed, her arms crossed.

"And you dragged me here, why?"

Heather didn't respond. She grabbed a book from her shelf, flipping through it with haste, her eyes reading the pages in seconds as she tried to find what she was looking for.

"You brought me here to watch you read?"

Heather gave her another hard stare, before flicking her eyes back to the pages, her eyes brightening as she found what she was searching for.

"Found it."

Astrid was starting to get annoyed. "Found what?"

Heather kept the book open and laid it on her bed before getting Astrid up. "We need to find three Yellow Oleander, and I'll ask Fishlegs to make me some broth from a fish."

"How ironic. But what is this for?"

Heather shut the book and placed it back on the shelf. "Never mind that. You start searching for the flowers while I talk to Fishlegs." With that, she headed out.

Already horribly confused, Astrid started searching for Yellow Oleander. But after thirty minutes she had turned up with nothing. She spotted Heather and walked over to her instead. "Any luck?" Heather held up a tiny beaten up book, which Astrid recognized as Fishlegs' biology booklet.

"Yeah, that'll probably help." She started flipping through it until she found Yellow Oleander. "It says that this flower only grows in extremely bright places with fresh soil fertilized by a dragon. So it'll probably be near the shore over in the flower patches."

"I've never seen it grow there...but we may as well try it. Fishlegs will be working on that broth most of the day."

They walked over to the shore, Heather making an excuse that she would rather walk with Astrid, searching for the yellow plant. To Heather's delight, she spotted one in the flower beds near the shore, plucking it so it still had a tiny bit of stem left, placing it in her satchel.

"One down, two to go. Anywhere else?"

It took a bit of thinking but Astrid recalled a certain place. "I think there's a spot in the woods where they might grow. Close to where we fought the Speed Stingers." She could see Heather's confused look. "Oh right, you weren't there. I'll tell you that story on the way."

By the time they reached the spot, Astrid was just finishing up how Speedy protected Snotlout from the Alpha Stinger.

"Wow, that's amazing. Although I don't know if I personally would have saved him." Astrid laughed. Heather always knew how to lighten a person up.

They searched the area until Astrid spotted another yellow flower, quickly plucking it and handing it to Heather.

"Two down. Any idea where to find the last one?"

Astrid thought about for a moment, when an idea sparked in her head. One that caused her to wrap her arms around herself and look at the ground.

"Astrid?"

She forced herself to speak. "I think there's a flower bed behind...behind... _his_ hut…"

Heather nodded. "You don't have to come Astrid. I can get it myse-"

"No. I want to see it."

"Astrid-"

"Please."

The walk seemed longer than it should have. But finally they were behind Hiccup's hut, searching through the plants on the rock when Astrid looked back at the purple and red hut.

"I'll look over here."

Heather mumbled an "alright" and Astrid walked over to the hut, quickly sneaking around to the front, where her eyes landed on Hiccup's door.

She took a deep breath. Maybe if she believed hard enough, he would still be inside. Working on some brilliant new plan, or drawing, or maybe even just sleeping in…

But as she got to the door and slowly slid it open, she knew no one would be there except Toothless.

The poor dragon had barely eaten since they had gotten back to the Edge. No one was allowed to fly him, as when you tried, he would try to fight you and fly in the direction Hiccup was. So now he stayed on the ground, sulking on his rider's bed.

Astrid took a long look at the room. It was simply littered with tons of papers, the floor practically covered. Typical. Toothless laid on Hiccup's bed, his green eyes saddened. He didn't even turn to look at Astrid. The blonde Viking patted the dragon's head, sitting next to him.

"I know...I miss him too."

She picked a paper up off the floor, smiling at his familiar handwriting. However, she was a bit surprised to see a fully laid out plan to get her back from Viggo. She set it down again and grabbed another one. A different plan…

She spent twenty minutes looking at every single paper on the floor. Each one a delicate plan to get her back. He spent so much time...trying to rescue her...and here they were, not even trying to get him back. She huffed to herself, ready to go to Heather and start a rescue mission, when she wondered if he had anything useful in his drawers.

In the first drawer she saw tons and tons of charcoal pieces. In the second, unlimited sheets of parchment. In the third, extra legs. But in the fourth her heart stopped momentarily.

It was a scroll.

With her name on it.

She grabbed it out of the drawer and broke the seal, quickly unraveling it.

" _Dear Astrid,_

 _If you're reading this...it means one of two things. One is that I failed to bring us both home safely and you're the only person that made it home. Two is that we're both here and I just wanted to give this to you to read._

 _But I think we both know which one is true._

 _I couldn't let him keep you, Astrid...I couldn't. I'd never forgive myself. Who knows what Viggo would have done to you. Sold you, made you into a slave, maybe even let his brother slaughter you. I couldn't let it happen._

 _Astrid, I promised myself that if it came down to your life and my life, I would do anything to save yours, even if it meant risking my own. Even when we were younger, I wanted to protect you. But I felt I couldn't because...well...I'm a hiccup. And hiccups aren't supposed to do heroic things. Or protect people. But Astrid, you mean more to me than anybody else. You're my best friend, my second-in-command, and the only girl I will ever love._

Her heart cracked in two.

" _I never was able to tell you before, but I guess if I'm never going to see you again, I better. I'm sure I'll say some sappy thing when I see you about loving you since I was a kid. Which is true. But there's a lot more to it._

 _You gave me hope, Astrid. Hope that I could find a friend, hope that I could change Berk, hope that I could be more than just a hiccup. And I never let go of it. Because I knew if I did, I would lose you too. I became something that day, Astrid. The day you gave me my first kiss._

 _I became Hiccup. The Hiccup who I am. Because I had two amazing friends. My dragon, and my first crush._

 _I admit, I was really shy when we were just teenagers. I couldn't ever confess to you because I felt like I didn't deserve you. You were born a Hofferson. An axe throwing, mutton munching, skull crushing machine. That's what you put on the outside. It wasn't long after I took you on your first flight I could see your true inside._

 _Astrid, you are so much more than what you see. I see a beautiful, confident, strong, trustworthy, intelligent, caring young woman with her head on her shoulders and a deep passion to help others. You're so friendly when you bring out that side, and you've always made me smile just by your presence._

 _To me, a hiccup doesn't deserve that._

 _But there must have been something you liked about me, Astrid. Because you never shoved me away. You trusted me, befriended me, cared for me, more than any other Viking ever has. I don't know exactly what was so good about me, but nonetheless, I loved having your company and friendship._

 _I realized around my nineteenth birthday just how limited our real time was. I was going to be Chief in a three or four years, and you would be on the Berk Guard. Something you had always dreamed about. Where would that leave us? No time to spend with each other unless...I came out with my real feelings soon and showed you just how much of my heart I wanted to give you._

 _I guess I confessed too late._

 _I want you to be happy, Astrid. What happens in your future depends on you now. Tell my dad that I love him and that when he picks the new heir or heiress, he should think about who has the most brains, not brawn. Who knows? Maybe it'll be you. But please, take care of Toothless. I have a feeling he'll be really upset without me. You may not be able to fly him for a while, so just take him for walks in the woods once in awhile._

 _One last thing._

 _Since this is my final goodbye, I want you to know just how much I really love you. I will never ever be able to fall in love with someone else, Astrid. You completed me. I loved you for so many years and I was just too shy to tell you. And by the time things with the Edge happened and I wanted to confess, we had bigger responsibilities and couldn't drop everything for a relationship. But now I wish I had. Sure, we shared a few kisses and cuddled and hid away in my hut just talk to each other, but I never said those three little words. And I'm sure by the time you and I are separated and I'm taken away, I'll have said it. So instead I'll say this._

 _You are my moon, my stars, my universe, and everything in between. All I think about and more. I can't count how many times I've thought about a future with you and how it would go. How many times I dreamed of confessing to you and pulling you close to me and kissing those beautiful lips. How many times I spent thinking to myself what an idiot I am for not confessing to a girl like you._

 _Take care of them, Astrid. And remember just how much you mean to me._

 _Forever yours,_

 _Hiccup"_

She must have fallen onto her knees long ago, because they ached terribly. Tear drops littered the entire scroll, and a dam was cracking within Astrid, and after all his beautiful words, his confession, this was all that was left to him. This was all she had.

She dropped the scroll to the ground, crying hard into her hands as she imagined what could of been, what might have happened. And just the thought of his face when they had been together that night in the cell. The pure love and raw emotion in his eyes that filled her own heart with love.

But he was gone.

And she would never see him again.

...

 **Ahhhh, my heart! Hooray for longest chapter! This chapter was supposed to go way way WAY differently but as I was writing it I changed my mind. I promise that there will be more Hiccup next chapter, and also a big reveal. Thank you to everyone who is sticking with this story! But please, stop giving each other ship hate in the reviews. Reviews mean a lot to me, and it's very upsetting to see people get insulted for their ships. I will try to update really soon, but if I can't it just means something came up. Hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you next time.**

 ** _\- Carla ;)_**


	7. The Soup

Hiccup had been nearly asleep when he heard the rattle of the wooden plate. He ran his hand through his hair, annoyed. Sitting up, he noticed Viggo walking towards him with two buckets. Giving Hiccup a warning look, the young man stepped away from the door and grabbed his relief bucket, exchanging him the full bucket for a bucket of water and a bucket of clams. Dumping the clams in with the few oysters he had left, and dumping the water into his water bucket, he set the now empty buckets over to the side for future relief.

Stealing a glance at Viggo, he watched him hand over the bucket to a soldier and lock the door.

"You've been much more cooperative than I thought you'd be."

"It's not a friendly gesture. It's to keep my friends safe."

"How sweet. And here I thought you were starting to enjoy my company. Maybe even join me on some dragon hunts."

Hiccup felt ill. "I'd rather die than help you slaughter innocent dragons."

Viggo's smirk disappeared. "That can be arranged, Hiccup. And you know it."

But Hiccup barely acknowledged it. He was back to laying on the floor, trying to sleep. "Just stay away from them."

Viggo turned to leave, but turned his head once again. "I'll keep an eye on Astrid for you."

His heart lurched and his eyes shot open. He quickly stumbled up to the bone door. "Don't you dare. You said you wouldn't hurt her."

"I never said I was going to _hurt_ her. Surely you want to know what she's doing?"

He growled. "Stay away from her. I don't trust you."

"And here I thought we were going to be great friends. Maybe even get myself another dragon trapper in the future."

"I wouldn't be part of your disgusting team even if my life depended on it."

Viggo gave the boy a warning look.

"Never said it was going to be you." He walked to the plate and rode up, leaving Hiccup in the dark with those words.

He was planning something for Astrid...something dastardly. And something that would get him more money than he ever imagined.

…

Heather picked Astrid up off the floor, giving her a hug.

"I...I...I never thought...he'd leave me...like this…"

Heather stroked at Astrid's hair, rubbing her back with the other hand. "He gave himself away to protect you. He's a hero, Astrid. Without you, he'd never be the same."

Astrid continued to cry into Heather. "And you think I will? I miss him so much, Heather...I miss him more than anything and I will just want him back…"

"Like I said, Hiccup is crafty. He'll find a way out if we can't. For now, there's nothing we can do."

Astrid immediately began to object. "No! We could put together a rescue team, and follow Viggo's ship-"

"Astrid…"

"And if we and all worked together, we could somehow build a trap!"

"Astrid." Heather pulled away to look into her sad eyes. "You know what will happen if we try. You might lose him forever."

Astrid simply nodded, looking at the floor and grabbing her scroll, rolling it up and sticking it into her satchel. She planned on treasuring this.

…

As the moon began to rise into the sky, Heather knocked on Astrid's door.

Astrid had been at her desk re-reading _his_ letter and drawing in her new sketchbook. Before he had left, he was teaching her how to draw. It was cute actually. His hand on hers as they drew together, his side to her side, their faces close together enough to hear each other breathe…

Heather knocked louder on the door.

"Oh! Uh...come in!" She sat up, sticking the letter into her drawer.

Heather came in with a bowl and a spoon. The mixture must have been done. Heather set the bowl down in front of her and handed her the spoon. "Try it. And tell me how it tastes."

Astrid looked into the mixture. It was an odd shade of yellow, like urine, but brighter. She took a soft whiff and grimaced. It smelled like something rotten. "You still haven't told me what this is for."

"Just try it."

It took Astrid a minute or two to bring the spoon to her lips, but finally she took a gulp of it. It tasted...well...it didn't have a taste.

"Tastes like nothi-"

The taste suddenly filled her mouth. More like assaulted it. Rotten foods, spoiled milk, sewage from the outhouse. It was the most repulsive thing she'd ever put in her mouth. With a lurch, she had vomited into her trash bucket, holding both sides as she emptied her stomach out.

Heather's face had lost a lot of color, a thin sweat dripped down her face, and a great deal of worry was forming.

Astrid spat into the bucket several times. "Are you trying to poison me?! What was that?!"

But then she noticed Heather's face. "Heather? What is it?"

It took Heather a moment to speak. "Astrid...oh gods…"

"Spit it out!"

Heather walked to the soup bowl and gently took a sip as Astrid ran over to stop her.

"Mmm...delicious...like melted chocolate."

Astrid looked at her like she had just pulled a dragon egg out of her mouth. "Chocolate?! Are you nuts?! That stuff is filth!"

Heather turned to look at Astrid. "Astrid, this soup is supposed to taste wonderful. It's supposed to be a delight and a delicacy."

"Well it certainly isn't to me."

Heather gulped. "But there's...one type of person...who can't drink this soup. It makes the soup taste like a disgusting mess."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "What kind of person?"

"Pregnant women."

Astrid's heart stopped and the color drained from her face. She stood motionless, her head filling up with so many different thoughts.

"N-no...that's...that's not...that's not possible…"

Heather nodded. "I had my suspicions with your vomiting."

"I...I can't be pregnant! No way! Maybe...maybe I'm just catching something! Maybe I'm allergic to the soup, I...I…" Her hand slowly moved to her belly and she felt a very slight firmness. "Oh gods…"

"Astrid...what are you going to do? Are you going to-" She couldn't finish her sentence. It was too disgusting.

Astrid had the same thought run through her head. It would be quick...but Astrid's common sense caught up with her and she wanted to vomit again. "No. No I won't do that. I can't...I'd lose my only piece of Hiccup…"

"Astrid, when your parents find out-"

"I don't care, Heather! This is my baby! Hiccup's baby! I'll decide what happens to it!"

Heather sighed. She knew Astrid would act like this. "Astrid, believe me. The last thing I want you to do is kill your baby. If anything, I want you to have the baby. And you will. I helped a lot of pregnant women in my old village. I can help you too."

Astrid hugged Heather tightly. "Thank you...thank you, thank you…"

Heather returned the hug. "Anything for a friend. Now, should we tell the other riders?"

"No...not yet...I want this to be kept a secret until I can't hide it."

"Alright...then the first thing you need to do is get something to keep the baby nice and strong. I should be able to whip up a concoction for you."

"Thank you...now, if you please, I better get some sleep." She yawned.

Heather smiled. "Gotcha. I'll be back in the morning to check on you."

As Heather left, Astrid shut the door and waited until she couldn't hear her footsteps anymore. She shakily walked to her bed and sat down.

"Oh gods…"

Her hand moved around her belly, still trying to process this information.

She was pregnant.

Not only that but it was Hiccup's baby.

Astrid had scarcely thought about having kids. She knew she'd want some later in life, but she never imagined she'd be pregnant at 19, separated away from the baby's father. It was like a nightmare.

But instead of freaking out about the tiny child in her belly, she moved her hand in circles. "H-hey there...hi. I guess you and I are going to be spending some time together, huh? Yeah...well...hey. You're going to have an awesome mom. And an even better dad. If...we get him back. But we will. Soon."

What was she doing? Talking to her belly? She must look crazy. But somehow...talking to her stomach was making her feel...relaxed.

"Don't worry...I'm going to take care of you. And nothing will ever harm you. I promise…" She laid down and kept her hand on her belly.

" _Hiccup...I know you can't hear me...but you're going to be a father._ "

This was going to be a very long nine months.

...

 **And voila. Pregnant Astrid. I'm actually really excited for this story. It's going to be a lot of fun to write. Pregnant!Astrid is one of my favorite things to write and roleplay. I hope you guys will like it too. I'll try to update again soon, and in a few chapters I'll set up a poll for the gender of the baby. :)**

 _ **\- Carla ;)**_


	8. The Dragon

Nearly a month had passed. Astrid had taken a short trip to Berk to buy slightly baggy clothes, a list of herbs and plants that Heather had requested, and although she didn't like to do it, snuck a pregnancy book out of the library. Once she had gathered everything she was ready to head home, tying her things to Stormfly when she felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, she was faced with her mother, Ingrid Hofferson.

"Oh! Uh...hi, Mom." she awkwardly smiled.

"So you come to Berk to visit and don't even give a hello to your mother?" Ingrid shook her head, her large hands on her hips looking down at her daughter with brown eyes.

"Sorry, Mom...but I'm kind of in a hurry, so can I-" She tried to mount her dragon, but her mother's meaty hand pulled her back.

"Astrid, my lass, something is up. You always come and visit your father and I, no matter how busy you are."

"No, really Mom. Everything is fine." She tried once again, but her mother kept her hold.

"Is it Hiccup? Is he treating you right?"

"Mom! Everything is fine!" She yanked her hand away, surprising the old maiden.

Ingrid could see the slight fear and worry in her daughter's eyes, the nineteen year old rushing to pack everything up. Astrid was _never_ bothered by much unless it involved that Hiccup boy, or if she had lost something.

But as she opened her mouth to question her daughter again, another voice beat her to it.

"Astrid!"

The warrior froze. This was the person she had been trying to avoid all day.

Hiccup's father, Stoick.

"Been looking for you, lass! I need to speak with you."

"A-actually Chief- I was about to-" But she could tell by his voice, he meant _now_. "C-coming…"

Within a few moments, Astrid was in Stoick's home, sitting on a yak fur couch. She shifted around, extremely uncomfortable.

" _Please don't ask about Hiccup. Please don't ask about Hiccup._ "

"So how's Hiccup?"

" _Son of a-"_

"He hasn't written to me in a while...and normally he's with you when you come back to Berk for gathering supplies. Is he sick? Maybe I should go out there and-"

"NO! I...I mean, no, sir. He's just...busy."

Stoick's eyes narrowed slightly. "Astrid, you're not telling me something. You wouldn't be so shaky. I think I'll just go with you-"

"NO! I...I.."

"Astrid, tell me. Now."

The warrior shook slightly. If Stoick knew his son was gone, he would stop at nothing to get him back. Even if it meant Viggo might possibly _kill_ Hiccup.

"Hiccup...is gone. He's been gone for a month and a half…"

"What?!"

"Viggo...he kidnapped me. Threatened to sell me. So Hiccup traded himself…" She saw the Chief stand up and she instantly got up too. "Stoick? Uh...what are you-" She saw him reach for his axe. "Oh no no no! Stoick, Chief, I _really_ wouldn't do that. Please? Uh…" She blocked the door, which she knew was futile, considering Stoick could just pick her up and place her away.

"Astrid, move. I'm getting my boy back."

"Sir, I can't let you do this!"

"Astrid, get away from this door!"

"No!"

"Astrid!"

"If you do this, he'll die!"

Stoick froze at those words, looking at Astrid as she panted slightly. "What?"

She tried to catch her breath, looking up at the Chief. "If we attempt a rescue, Viggo will kill him. He's warned us about it many times and we cannot risk his life. Hiccup is...well, Hiccup. He'll find a way out...he will. Just please...we will get him back. But we cannot just go out there or there will be serious Hel to pay." She sighed in relief as Stoick put his axe down.

"Very well...but I can't believe you hid this from me for nearly two months. Anything else I should know about?"

Astrid's mind went to her pregnancy. " _This is his grandchild...he HAS to know about it...but...what if he wants me to get rid of the baby because me and Hiccup weren't married first? No...he wouldn't do that...but I haven't even told the Riders yet...and if I told him about the baby he'd only fuss...I guess I'll just have to wait a little longer…_ "

"Astrid?" The young warrior was broken out of her thoughts.

"No sir. That's all."

Stoick sighed and rubbed his face. "Alright...keep me updated, Astrid. He is my son after all."

Astrid gave a quick nod and raced to Stormfly, flying off as quick as possible, once again ignoring her mother as she cried out for her daughter.

…

Hiccup took off his metal leg, pounding it at the rock wall until another shard of it fell to the ground. Re-attaching his leg, he picked up his new shard.

"This'll work nicely." He began to draw on the rock wall, white lines protruding from the shard. He had started doing this a few days ago, sketching dragons on the walls. And now he began his work on a Toothless sketch.

As he was just finishing Toothless' head, the sound of the wooden plate came from the corner. Sighing, he placed the rock shard under his blanket and walked over to the door. Viggo and two soldiers came down, Viggo opening the door and the two soldiers tying his hands up.

"Come on. Let's get this over with."

Once a week, Viggo took Hiccup up onto the island to bathe, during of which, one of Viggo's soldiers washed out his clothes. Hiccup allowed them to take him to one of the waterfalls, untying him but leaving a soldier behind to make sure he didn't run. Not like he would. He wouldn't dare risk Astrid's life. But he made sure the soldier wasn't looking before washing up and allowing the other to take his clothes.

After his wash and getting his clothes back, he heard a sudden shriek. A baby dragon...without even really thinking, he ran to the sound, ignoring the shouts of the soldiers to alert Viggo. He ended up near the shore, where a small hunting boat was docked. A group of soldiers poked at something in a fish net with spears, pushing his way into the crowd.

"What are you doing?!" The soldiers backed off in shock to see the boy running free, and Hiccup saw what was inside the net. A terrified red and orange Terrible Terror hatchling. She was limping in circles, rapidly shooting off tiny fireballs, squeaking. Shushing her, he got on his knees, attempting to calm her.

"Hey, hey...it's okay...shhh...shhh…" He gently placed his hand out, the tiny dragon stopping to sniff his hand. He slowly placed it on her head, giving her a soft rub. "There…"

The soldiers nearby watched in slight amazement. They'd never seen the boy tame a dragon up close before...he was like a god, calming it with just his hand.

But as Hiccup smiled, watching the tiny dragon press her head into his hand, he felt two hands pull him up roughly up on his feet. Viggo looked at the boy disapprovingly as the soldier held him.

"You know better than to run off." Hiccup didn't struggle, his eyes not leaving the baby dragon.

"She needed my help."

Viggo rolled his eyes. "And now she doesn't. Bring her to the ship!"

Hiccup watched in slight horror as a soldier roughly picked up the net, the baby letting out a loud shriek of pain. "Stop!" He screamed out, finally starting to struggle. "She's hurt!"

Viggo walked over to the net, getting a good look at her. Her right leg had been punctured heavily right through the bone with a spear. There was no repairing that.

"She's useless to use now. Throw her overboard."

Hiccup struggled even harder. "No! No, please! Stop! She's just a hatchling!" Viggo looked back at the boy.

"We can't sell her. She's disabled." He snapped his fingers, the soldiers preparing to toss the little dragon into the water.

"No! Please! Let me take care of her!"

Viggo looked over at the boy. He was simply begging for this useless baby dragon...why? Whatever the case, the dragon was useless to him and if the boy wanted the dragon so badly, so be it. It's not like he had paper to send letters. The dragon was too young to fly, its fire was practically harmless, and in general, useless.

"It's useless to us. Give it to him."

Hiccup was released by the soldier, and once released, he rushed over to the soldier holding the net, taking her from him and taking her out of the net, petting her head.

"Shhh...it's alright now…"

One of the soldiers nearby scratched his head. "Uh...why isn't she flying away?"

Hiccup looked over to him. "She's too little to fly. That and she's calm. She knows I won't hurt her." He slightly narrowed his eyes at them before allowing Viggo to guide him back to the wooden plate, back to his cell.

Once inside, Hiccup laid down on his blanket, allowing the little dragon to limp around slightly, her right leg forever unresponsive. "You're just like me, little girl...we both can't use one of our legs." He pet her head. "You need a name…" After looking at her red-orange scales, he decided on a name pretty quickly.

"Ember. I think I'll call you Ember."

Stroking her head, the baby dragon fell asleep, Hiccup covering her with the blanket before continuing his sketch, a big grin on his face.

He finally had a friend in this wasteland.

…

 _Thwack!_

 _Thwack!_

 _Thwack!_

Astrid threw her axe at the tree once again, splintering the wood. Roughly grabbing it again, and tossing it. Her mind filled with scenarios of the village. After meeting with Stoick she couldn't help but fear what the villagers would say once she started showing. Her biggest fear being that they would force her to…

 _THWACK!_

She hit the tree harder than the first times, actually burying her axe into the tree. Exhausted and stressed, she sat down on a log, taking a breather.

She looked around once, and then twice, before slowly lifting her shirt up a tiny bit to run her hand over the slightest hint of a bump.

"Hey baby...it's Mom again...I know I talk to you a lot...I can't help it. Kind of helps me realize you're there...I spoke with your grandpa today...he's actually Chief of our village...and he's going to love you so much."

The village...her baby…

"I just...want to tell you again little one...I will not let _anything_ happen to you. You are going to be born into this world...and you're going to have a mother who will love you unconditionally. And that mother…" She stopped to caress her belly. "Will be me."

As she smiled down at her tiny bump she heard a rustling in the leaves. Gasping, she put her shirt down and rushed to grab her axe, managing to pry it out of the tree as she prepared to face the threat.

She was surprised as Toothless walked out of the bushes, looking sad as ever. She put down her axe and walked over. "Toothless...hey, buddy…" She patted his head. "Oh you poor thing...you look like you haven't slept in days...I wish I could help…"

A sudden thought filled her head. Maybe she _could_ help.

"Hey...you want to know a secret?" Toothless looked at her with sad eyes. "It's about me and Hiccup." The dragon's ears perked up at the name of his rider.

Sitting back on the log, Astrid slowly lifted her shirt a bit to show her tiny bump. "Toothless...I'm pregnant. That means...there's a baby in my belly...and it's Hiccup's."

The dragon sniffed at Astrid's belly, cooing slightly. He couldn't smell anything...but with a small roar, he used his echolocation, sensing a tiny living thing inside of Astrid. Like a hatchling would grow inside a mother dragon. And since Hiccup was Astrid's mate…

The dragon's eyes brightened to an emerald green, giving Astrid an excited gummy smile, rubbing his head against her belly. Astrid pet his head, smiling.

"That's right Toothless. Me and Hiccup are having a baby."

As she began to laugh as Toothless tickled her belly with her head, she heard a twig snap. With a yelp, she shoved her shirt down and reached for her axe, Toothless growling heavily and shielding Astrid. When Astrid could see nothing, she pat the dragon's head.

"Easy, boy...it must have been an animal...it's okay…"

But Toothless wasn't so easily convinced. He continued to shield her, not about to let her just walk off.

...

Meanwhile...running away from the bushes and hopping on his dragon, a masked man panted heavily.

"Come on...we better get to Viggo before he thinks I ran out on him. I don't want anything happening to Hiccup...especially not when he learns about this…" Putting on his mask, he took off, staying by the ocean until they were out of sight.

He was in a bad enough situation as it was. Imprisoned by Viggo until he was forced to spy on Astrid and the other riders for information. He hated it. But Viggo had threatened several times to do damage to Hiccup.

The last thing he wanted was Hiccup hurt. Or any of the riders. But what he had just witnessed changed everything. And he had a feeling he was piecing together Viggo's plan. With this new piece of information, it was time to make things count. Do or die.

"Oh, Brother...you've really done it this time…"

...

 **Okay, I LOVE this chapter. This may be my favorite yet. We get a first look at the raw protectiveness Stoick will be building up, we get to meet Hiccup's new and disabled baby dragon friend, Ember, a small glimpse of the adorableness that Toothless will hold in these next chapters, and last but not least, the secret spy some of you were asking about. But we've only scratched the surface of Torn Apart, and I hope those who have been reading will stay for the thrill ride to come.**

 **I'd like to thank everyone who supported my choice for Astrid keeping her child. It brings me a lot of joy to know I'm being supported and that's why I wanted to get this chapter up as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone. :)**

 _ **\- Carla ;)**_


	9. The Nightmare

Viggo's grin only grew more sinister as he walked to his study located on his mothership. Oh, how delicious. Everything was working out according to plan. His little spy had just brought the wonderful news. Precious Astrid was expecting Hiccup's little bundle of joy.

How delightful.

If he was honest with himself, he didn't think this plan would work. But it had. Hiccup had fallen right into Viggo's trap, kidnapping Astrid and trading himself, just like he knew the poor fool would. It was a shame, really.

Hiccup had already guaranteed his child's fate before it was even born.

…

 _Blood rushed down Astrid's legs as she sat herself over the bucket, crying at the immense pain as she clutched her belly._

" _Don't leave me...don't leave me, please. Please!"_

 _She choked on her sobs as she begged her unborn child to stay alive. Maybe it was just a late period. But as she felt the strong feeling of something trying to push out of her abdomen, she collapsed into her sobs._

Her blue eyes sprang awake, tears streaming down her face as she awoke from her horrific nightmare. Her baby...her baby was gone...she clutched at her belly, throwing her shirt up to feel the bump on her stomach. Still warm and still slightly moving.

She cried as she rubbed her stomach. "I thought you were gone...please...please, stay. For me...for your daddy...I don't want you to go...I want to see you open your eyes and take your first breath...I want to kiss your little head and discuss names with your father…" She stopped to sniff. "I can't do that if you leave me."

As she tried to calm herself, Heather rushed in, Stormfly behind her.

"Astrid! Are you okay?" She ran over to her friend, noticing the tears. "Astrid?"

Astrid sniffed. "Put your ear to my stomach. I have to know if he's still alive."

Heather couldn't understand what made Astrid so afraid, but she carefully rested her head on Astrid's stomach, picking up two gentle heartbeats.

"The baby is okay, Astrid. Your baby is fine." She tried to soothe her, getting Astrid to lay down.

"I would be so much better if Hiccup were here…"

Heather sighed, pulling the covers over her. "I know...but he's not...and you have to be strong."

"This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do Heather. I've never been away from him for so long...and right when I need him the most." She rolled over on her side, sniffling.

"Hey...you've got me. And soon you'll have the rest of the gang too. I promise. Everything is going to be okay, Astrid."

"I hope you're right…"

…

Astrid had always loved morning flights. The wind in her hair, the sights, the sounds…

"Come on girl!" She grabbed her axe and headed towards her dragon.

"What are you doing?!"

Astrid turned to see Heather running over. "Are you nuts?! You can't fly a dragon when you're nearly two months pregnant!"

Astrid scoffed. "Of course I can. I'm careful. Don't worry, we'll be-"

"No! You will NOT be fine! Astrid, last night you were terrified of losing your baby. Well if you start doing dangerous crap on your dragon, you WILL lose your baby!"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "I'll be careful, Heather. I'm just going for a fly." She walked past Heather and prepared to get on Stormfly. "Alright, girl, let's get ready to-"

She blinked in surprise as Stormfly away from her. "Stormfly, let's go." But once again, the dragon walked backwards. When she tried it again, the blue Nadder took to the air, flying on the perch on Hiccup's hut.

"What is with her?" Astrid tilted her head in confusion.

Heather looked up at the dragon. "She's protecting you. She thinks you're trying to hurt your offspring. She won't let you ride until you recover from birth."

Astrid huffed in annoyance. "You too?!"

Now frustrated, Astrid stomped inside her hut, Heather following.

"Astrid, it's for the baby's safety...if you lost the baby, you'd lose all you have left of Hiccup."

Her heart lurched as her friend spoke his name. "I know, Heather. I'm scared. Scared that he won't come back. That my child won't have a father. Scared I won't be a good mom...but all I know is that there's a feeling in my gut telling me that this baby is going to be a good thing. In some way. And want him to be born more than anything…" She rubbed her stomach delicately.

"Him?"

Astrid smiled softly as she continued to rub her stomach. "I hope it's a boy...a little boy with Hiccup's auburn hair and green eyes…"

Heather chuckled. "A mini Hiccup? That would drive me nuts. What about a girl? With your hair and eyes?"

Astrid's eyes saddened. "I'll love the baby whether it's a girl or a boy. I just...in case...I never see him again...I hope the baby looks like Hiccup."

Heather nodded slowly. "Well, hey, no matter what, your son or daughter is going to be beautiful."

Astrid smiled at her friend, wiping away a few tears that were forming.

"Thanks, Heather."

…

Having Ember in his cell did wonders for Hiccup. He had a little friend to play with and train. He spent nearly every moment with Ember, and any other moment he was drawing. Recently he had drawn a picture of Astrid on the wall.

Gods, he missed her…

Every night he thought about her. But she was safe...that was all that mattered.

As Hiccup was teaching Ember how to scratch herself with her bad foot painlessly, he heard the wooden plate starting to move again.

When he saw who was in Viggo's hands, tied up, he was in shock.

Dagur, in the flesh, standing right there.

"D-dagur…?"

Viggo smirked. "Thought you could use another friend." Without another word, Dagur got shoved into the cell and Viggo descended up again.

Hiccup wasn't expecting Dagur's bone crushing hug.

"Oh brother! I missed you so much! I'm so glad you're alright! Well, you're sort of alright."

"Dagur! You're alive!"

Dagur rolled his eyes. "I don't die that easy."

"I'm so glad you're here…"

Dagur forced himself to smile. "Me too, brother…" The last thing he wanted to do was tell Hiccup exactly what he knew. "So, I see you have a dragon."

"Huh? Oh that's Ember. She's my friend."

Dagur nodded. "Soooo...I'm going to get some sleep."

Hiccup was confused. He just found out Dagur didn't die and now he wanted to sleep?

"What about your sister? Why are you even in here? What happened?"

Dagur began to fake snore. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Fine. But tomorrow you're telling me everything."

That was exactly what Dagur _didn't_ want to do.

...

 **If this chapter feels rushed, it's because it was...I just wanted to get it done before my trip and before looking at the screen too much made me sick. In reality, a lot more would go on between Dagur and Hiccup but I'll add more into that next chapter. I have no idea when I'll post Chapter 10...but I'll try my best.**

 **Thank you for all your kind words.**

 _ **\- Carla ;)**_


	10. The Birthday

Astrid was miserable. Even more miserable than usual. This past month she hadn't been able to keep a single morsel down, and she felt ill at every moment. She had been told by her own mother how hard things would get. But she had gotten _that_ talk at twelve years old and pretty much slept through it. Now she wished she'd listened to her mother's advice on relieving aches and pains and keeping food down.

Being four months pregnant sucked.

But not only did it suck, it was incredibly difficult to conceal. She hadn't told the other riders yet, but she knew that she would have to any day now.

With a groan, the blonde girl sat up and lifted her long shirt to put a hand to her protruding bump which was now starting to really jut out. "Hang in there little guy...or little girl. It's almost time to show you to your aunts and uncles. I know they're going to love you."

The gang could use some cheering up. After several failed escape plans, most of the group had given up hope on Hiccup's return and the news that Hiccup's son or daughter would be arriving soon might just be the perk they needed. But Astrid was still terrified to speak a word to them about it. Heather had been trying to convince her to tell the group for days, and plainly told her that hiding her bump wasn't going to last forever. The baby was going to grow, whether Astrid liked it or not.

"I'll tell them about you, I promise. Just...give me a few more days to work up the courage."

…

Hiccup was getting really tired of Dagur. Brother or no, Dagur's snores rivaled that of a dragon. Ember had her claws pinned to her ears trying to drown out the noise. Hiccup rubbed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, his stomach churning. Dagur still refused to tell him how the gang and Astrid were doing.

Astrid…

Gods, he missed her...every night he had her face in his mind before he finally drifted to sleep. He often dreamed about her, too...one time he had even had a very particular dream with her and barely avoided being caught cleaning up the mess before Dagur got up. But Dagur had been great company. He didn't feel like he was slowly losing his mind anymore and there was still a glimmer of hope left in him.

He pet Ember's scales, calming her and finally getting her to go to sleep, but Hiccup knew he'd be up for a while...tomorrow was a very special day...and he wasn't even going to be there for it…

…

Astrid woke up knowing instantly what day it was. And her heart beat with pain.

Hiccup's birthday. He would have been twenty today…

" _Stop thinking like that. He IS turning twenty today. He's still alive. I can feel it. The baby feels it."_

Thinking to herself was something Astrid did often now, but she never let it get to her. Just like usual, as she rolled herself out of the bed, she felt the baby move in her belly and she would always smile.

"Won't be long now," she cupped her belly, "I promise…"

It had taken her a few weeks to accept, but Astrid Hofferson's pride and joy was inside of her belly, and all she wanted was to see her baby's face.

The knock at the door startled her. "Come in!"

Heather was already dressed and ready to go. "You know what day it is, right?" Astrid nodded her head. "Do you think he's okay?" Heather shrugged.

"Everyone is really upset already. And I think I know what would cheer them up." Astrid's heart froze. "But...Heather…"

"They need to know Astrid. Today more than ever. Stoick sent a letter. He wants to see Hiccup tomorrow. One of us is going to have to tell him what happened."

"What?! No!" Astrid froze. This was bad...and she didn't want to tell him...not yet. But it looked like she didn't have a choice. She would have to tell him tomorrow that she was carrying his grandbaby.

...

At lunch, when all was silent and the gang looked like they were mourning, Heather stood up and put her hands together.

"Astrid has some very special news for everyone today." She ignored Astrid's look of terror and let the girl stand up. Astrid fidgeted with herself as she saw all the attention on her.

"Well...I...uh...know that this day is very special...and I know that makes us upset...but...well…"

Was it best to be blunt or descriptive? She chose blunt.

"I'm pregnant."

The table howled with laughter. Snotlout was almost crying, Ruffnut was snorting like a pig, and Tuffnut had fallen over in his chair. Only Fishlegs was still calm, but his face had paled.

"That's hilarious, Astrid! You, the great and beautiful warrior...pregnant! That's funny!"

"Astrid rocking babies on the Edge! Oh Gods!"

"I can hear the baby battle cries!"

Blood boiled in Astrid's veins. They were making fun of her baby. And for some reason, she felt that she was about to explode. And she did,

"It's not a joke! I'm actually pregnant, you insufferable idiots! I've been pregnant for four months trying to hide this baby from you because I was so scared about what you all thought, and you just want to insult me?! I have been throwing up, crying, peeing uncontrollably, eating like a hog, and hiding my belly bump! And you all just don't care! Look at this! Does this look fake to you?!" She lifted her shirt to show off the protruding bump. "And while you all laugh about the funny joke that Astrid Hofferson is pregnant, let's also laugh about the fact that the baby's father is locked up far away from here!"

Everyone was quiet. Astrid didn't even know that she was crying until she felt the tears stream down her face. She was so angry, so embarrassed, so upset...and suddenly, so sick.

The look of disgust on everyone's face was evident as Astrid vomited onto the table, heaving herself over and emptying everything out of her stomach before running away, more tears coming down her face.

"Astrid! Wait!" She could hear Heather's voice, but she didn't care. She ran right to her hut and slammed the door, throwing herself to the bed and sobbing in her hands. That couldn't have gone worse. As she cried, she felt her baby moving around. She set a hand on her belly.

"Shh...I'm sorry, little one...Mama just...got really upset...I'm so sorry…"

As Astrid cried, Heather knocked on the door.

"Astrid? Everyone is here...they want to say they're sorry."

She didn't move to open the door so Heather came in anyway. She could hear the footsteps of the others.

Snotlout was the first to speak after several minutes.

"Are you actually pregnant?"

Astrid weakly nodded.

"Is Hiccup the father?"

Astrid nodded, still not showing her face.

"That baby is going to need a lot of love and attention." She felt a hand on her shoulder, and then another, and then two hands on her legs and one on her hand.

"We're here for you." Fishlegs squeezed her shoulder. "It's good to know that Hiccup is still here with us in some form."

Astrid finally let her hands drop, and she saw tears in all of their eyes. She gave a very weak smile, and lifted her shirt to show her bump. She let them all move their hand around the small little shape in her stomach, tears dropping onto her legs once in awhile as she felt her baby move. This tiny baby...this unborn child resting inside of her...held so much hope and love that Astrid didn't even think it was possible until now.

"This baby is going to be so special…"

Astrid nodded and wiped her eyes.

"He really is...or she…"

…

Despite it being his birthday, Dagur still wouldn't tell him anything.

"Dagur, please, this is driving me crazy. Just tell me how Astrid is doing!"

Dagur shook his head. "Uh uh! Nothing is wrong with her, she's fine!"

"Not with the way you're acting! Just tell me!"

"I can't!"

The argument has lasted most of the day, and now Hiccup was angrily stroking Ember's scales, huffy. It didn't even feel like his birthday. And all he even wanted was to see Astrid. But that wouldn't be happening.

As the night showed up, Dagur walked over to his brother, sighing.

"Okay...I'll tell you. I can't hide this secret anymore."

Hiccup let go of Ember and stood up. "Tell me."

Dagur fiddled his fingers. Blunt or descriptive? He chose blunt.

"Astrid is pregnant."

The three words wouldn't register into Hiccup's brain. They just wouldn't. Astrid. Is. Pregnant. And he had a sickly idea on who the father was.

"What...no...she...I…" He had to balance himself, feeling dizzy and sick. "Astrid...no...she can't…"

The room was getting dizzy, and he felt incredibly sick and hot. He couldn't feel anything. He didn't even hear Dagur call out his name as he hit the floor, the three words running over and over in his head as his vision went black.

...

 ** _It's back, baby! I decided to post this on Halloween. We've got a lot going on. The gang finally knows about the Hiccstrid baby. And Hiccup does too. But it hasn't quite gotten through his head that he's a father. Oh boy...I guess we get to see how Grandpa reacts next time, huh?_**

 ** _Stay cool!_**

 _\- Carla ;)_


	11. Author's Note (Big News!)

_**You guys are going to kill me but I bet you've noticed that Trolls is taking over my account. But don't think this is the end of Torn Apart! The thing is that I've lost interest. Now, don't panic and cry. I've found a solution. I'm going to wait until the next season of RttE comes out (January) and once I've binged on that my HTTYD spark will hit up again and I'll be willing to pop out chapters left and right. Believe me, I want to finish this, and if you gys even want it, I have a sequel I've been rough-drafting the script for. So please don't stop reading just because you have to wait. Who knows? Maybe I'll get a spark from something else before then. I promise to finish this, I really do. So don't think I'm abandoning this. Blame Dreamworks for making amazing movies. Like seriously, go see Trolls. And hey, while you wait, I've been seriously putting down the fics for Trolls. And I have a third one planned. So don't worry guys. Nightfurybaby is still active and ready to crank out all the writing your little heads can take. If you have any questions or concerns, please PM me. Also...I LOVE long reviews! It gives me a sense of purpose! It bring me so much joy to see that someone actually wrote to me saying what I did good! So please, if you want to review, please please please try to put some effort into it. Not just "Cool" or "Update soon!" Now that that is settled, I hope you guys respect my decision to wait for the fourth season, and enjoy some Trolls when you have some time. I love you guys. I really do. You guys give me so much happiness and I won't let you down.**_

 _ **Thank you all,**_

 _Carla ;)_


	12. CB Logan's Final Goodbye

_To my dear devoted readers._

 _I'm sorry to say lovelies but I will not be continuing any of my fanfiction series. What happened a long time ago was that my laptop broke and I couldn't write good enough stories on my phone. By the time I got a new laptop I had lost interest in Trolls and How To Train Your Dragon, but I kept them in my files because I thought one day I would come back to them. I've been in writing classes for the past year and the fact of the matter is that I really can't do these fanfictions anymore. I don't have time. I'm going to be starting college soon, I'm in a committed relationship, and the biggest reason of all is that I'm going to be writing my own fiction stories. I've had plans for them for so long and that's what I've always wanted to do. Thank you to everyone for being there for me and I hope you understand. If this gets any feedback I might type out what would have happened in the stories if anyone was interested. I had three books planned for Trolls. I hope you all can forgive me. But someday if you're looking around a bookstore or library or online book store, if you see books with the author "C.B. Logan", that's me. Little ole Carla Bridget Logan._

 _Thanks for everything, everyone._

 _ **C.B. Logan ;)**_


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